Thursday 8th October 2015 - Chobe Safari Lodge to Namushasha Lodge

Up early again this morning for the drive from Chobe National Park to Bwabwata National Park in Namibia.  The first part of the drive was through Chobe National Park where we saw a couple of new birds, the Dark Chanting Goshawk and the Korhaan (looks a little like our Curlew).  

 

On arriving the border it was the usual process.    An exit stamp from Botswana then a drive across the Chobe River Bridge to emigration in Namibia.  No visa required just fill in the form and get your passport stamped.

From the border we drove to the town of Katima Mulilo where we visited the ATM to get some Namibian Dollars, have a coffee and buy some water. From there it was quite a drive to Kongola where we turned south to our accommodation fort the next two nights at Namushasha Lodge on the edge of Bwabwata National Park.

We passed lots of villages on the trip.  Small houses built with branches and then plastered with a combination of cattle dung and sand.  Occasionally you see an iron roof but by far the majority are thatched.  All have high fences made from reeds as a barrier to wild animals.  We saw lots of school children along the way on their way home from school and later to school.  There are morning and afternoon sessions.  School is compulsory and free for primary aged children and will also be free for secondary students from next year.

Namushasha Lodge is right on the bank of the Kwondo River and is a very pretty spot with different levels of the bar restaurant area overlooking the river.  It's remoteness, however, means that it is off grid so no such things as air conditioning or even fans.  Freida, the Maître de says that they should get power next year which will improve the situation considerably as it is very hot at this time of year.

After lunch and a bit of a rest we went on a boat trip on the Kwando.  The river is quite different to the Chobe.  No river flats here, just a river with high reeds each side.  It didn't take long to spot a large pod of hippos.  Rector, our guide, had to carefully manoeuvre our boat around them to continue along the river.  We saw lots of White Fronted Bee Eaters who were darting to and from their nests in the river bank - quite entertaining and very pretty although their name is a bit of a puzzle as they do not have white fronts.  Also saw the Open Billed Stork, Blacksmith's Plover and African Swamphen as well as, for the first time, the Tsebe Antelope.  Even saw a water monitor.  The highlight however would have been elephants crossing the river.

Dinner on the deck was very pleasant with lots of candles and cute solar powered Mason Jars with LEDs on the underside of the lid (the lid incorporating a solar panel).

Off to bed early under a huge mosquito net covering the whole double bed (almost a room within a room).  The rooms are at least cooler than outside so we were able to sleep without too much concern for mosquitoes.

Friday 9th October 2015 - Namushasha Lodge

Up early this morning to go on a morning safari, however our guide, Rector didn't get the message for the early start so we were a little later getting away than expected - some sought of communication problem.  We have learn't all about TIA (this is Africa) - a bit like 'Mullumbimby Time' I think.  

Eventually, when we got away it was back down to yesterday's boat to travel along the river to where the Lodge vehicles are parked.  We were driving in the Sisuwe section of the Bwabwate National Park and saw quite a lot of water birds, various antelope and a huge herd of elephants.  

The elephants were heading towards the river, were 4-5 abreast and took 10 minutes to pass. There must have been several hundred in the group. We also found a recently dead baby elephant.  It had a snare around its leg which was probably part of the reason for its death.  Our guide didn't seem to see anything sinister about it.  Apparently, the locals use snares to catch antelope like impala outside the park and occasionally animals wander across the river and are entrapped.  Nearby the monkeys were kicking up a din indicating the likelihood that a leopard was about.  We actually heard it call out and a bit later saw leopard tracks.  We also had a leopard (sausage) tree pointed out to us.  The tree is a favourite spot for the leopard to hide and drop on unsuspecting game.  

Back in Namushasha we were quite late for breakfast so just had drinks and waited for lunch.  

We then had a restful afternoon including a swim in their pool.  We couldn't believe how cold the water was.

Dinner on the deck again was very pleasant

Saturday 10th October 2015 - Mahangu Safari Lodge

A 7 am breakfast this morning, after packing out bags ready for the drive to  Mahangu Safari Lodge on the eastern side of the Bwabwate National Park.  Breakfast was fruit, yoghurt and bacon and eggs. Cute to see the birds and squirrels around the breakfast area. 

This is indeed an idyllic spot built on the Kwando River looking across at the national park.  We could see elephants from the lodge yesterday afternoon and could hear hippos during the night.  It was not quite as hot last night.

There was a lot of activity as we drove past the villages this morning.  It's Saturday. The water points, in particular, were popular spots. Apparently, some people still have to carry water up to 5 km.  This, however, is quite an improvement on years gone by.  Apparently, there has been a real effort since independence in 1992 to bring water to all villages.

At the junction of the main road, Ian called into a service station for fuel while we visited the Wood Centre across the road. There were lots of nice works produced by local villagers - not only woodwork.  Jill purchased a sarong (called a sitenge in this part of the world) and Jennie a woven basket  (she hopes she can get it through customs in Australia).

We then turned west through the town of Kongola and then into the National Park.  Before entering the park we were stopped at a roadblock manned by the special field forces where they sprayed our tyres for foot and mouth and anthrax.   We also had to stand on a pad of insecticide. The whole of this section of the Captiva strip is dedicated to the Bwabwate National park but there were not many animals around at this time of day - just cute signs telling us to watch out for Kudu, Elephant and wild dog.  Some areas of the park are shared areas and here we saw cattle, goats and donkeys.  The roads are in good condition, well signposted with roadside stops along the way.

At the western side of the park, we crossed the Okavango River.

We then turned south to the Mahangu Safari Lodge which is built on the banks of the Okavango River with the National Park on the Eastern bank.  Mahangu is another small low-key lodge in very pretty grounds.

Lots of birds here - Arrow Marked Babbler, Cardinal Woodpecker, Spectacled Weaver, Purple Starling, Heuglins Robbin, Black-eyed Bulbul, Myers Parrot and Boubou Shriek (among others).  We sat on the deck overlooking the river and ate our packed lunch.

After a little down time and a swim in their pool, Ian took us for a drive in the Mahango section of the Bwabwate National Park (an area south of the lodge running through to the Botswana Border).  We saw two new antelope, the Duiker and the Roan and also new birds, the Southern Pied Babler and the very pretty Crimson Breasted Shrike.  Also saw Elephant, Zebra, Ostrich, Sable antelope, Hippos and Impalas.

 

Back at the lodge for a very nice meal (Salad, Pea soup, steak and vegies followed by mousse).  Ian had made sure that Jill's came without sauce and special dressing so she's happy - not too hard for her to eat in Africa as there are plenty of vegetables, salad, meat and fruit.  

Our beds (singles tonight with mosquito nets) were a little saggy.  We have our own individual cabins in the grounds of the lodge which were air conditioned

so we slept pretty well.

Sunday 11th October - Fiume Game Lodge

Up and away at 8am after breakfast (juice, fruit salad, yoghurt, bacon and eggs with coffee - pretty well the standard for lodges along with cereal for those who want it).  

First stop was Rundu for fuel and a coffee stop at Wimpi (terrible coffee) and then the supermarket to buy a few bits and pieces.  It was here that we had a bit of an Opps!! moment when the vehicle locked itself with the keys still inside.  After walking around the vehicle for some time trying all the windows and Ian phoning the hire company, we ended up breaking one of the small rear windows and climbing through to retrieve the keys.  With keys retrieved Richard and I taped up the window with cardboard while Ian cleaned up the broken glass (after Jill went back to the shop to buy a dustpan and brush).

 

Back in the car, we ate our lunch while going along to catch up a bit on time - quite comfortable in the air conditioning anyway.

We have now left the River Parks and are driving into much drier country.  This was obvious when we arrived at Fiume Lodge.  

No camping beside a river here - and no safaris for that matter.  They did, however, have a waterhole close to the lodge which was frequented by three ostriches and about 8 chicks.  The chicks could actually walk underneath the fence and eat the grass on "our side" - very cute.  Also saw Blesbok (not endemic to the area) Springbok, Giraffe, Impala and Eland.  The Eland will be the biggest antelope we will see and are quite grand.  Apparently, the larger female antelopes are called cows (and their young, calves) and the smaller ones, ewes (and lambs).

We had a restful afternoon including a swim and some bird watching - including Drongos, Hornbills, Babblers and that striking Crimson Breasted Shrike.

Dinner here was very good (a roast) and Jill even had a desert which wasn't just fruit - pear in a red wine sauce.

Monday 12th October - Etosha National Park (Namatoni)

This morning we set off early to a farm about 45 minutes drive from Fiume (owned by the father of the  Fiume managers).  It has a community of San people (sometimes called the Kalahari Bushmen but rarely used these days as that title is seen as derivative - anyone who watched "God's Must be Crazy" couldn't possibly think that!!).  This village is set up to do an educational presentation and was just amazing.  We were met by the farm owner out on the road (a very interesting man passionate about working with the San and protecting their culture) who then guided us to the village where we met Peter (a tiny man in a lap lap looking as if he could have just stepped out of the movie).  

Pete's English was very good and he took us to meet the rest of the community sitting around in front of thatched huts.  There were lots of children playing despite the fact that we were told the older ones were away at school.  The kids were very happy playing in the dirt.  Some had made people out of straw and some had tiny bows and arrows.  

We were taken a bit further into the bush and shown how the San used plants for medicine, and how they would have trapped prey, snaring and using poison arrows to shoot antelope etc.  This was done by the medicine man in the 'click' language of the San (interpreted by Peter).  In reality, it is now illegal for them to hunt for game any larger than hares so it will be interesting to see just how much longer they can retain their culture.  

Back at camp, we were shown how the make fire, manufacture string and make jewellery from seeds and ostrich shell.  We were then entertained - some singing and skipping games which included all the women, many of the men and the kids as well.  They all looked as if they were having fun.  

 

The children (the little ones) were fascinated with Wendy's Ipad and Jennie's bobbles (on her top) and the zips on Jill';s shorts.  Wendy and Jennie both had on white shorts so you can imagine how they looked after being climbed on by naked children who had been playing in the dirt.  

The villagers had some of their jewellery for sale but there was no hard sell here.  Naturally, we all had to buy something.  It was a wonderful visit and one of the highlights of our trip.

From the village, we headed south-west to Grootfontein (more fuel and coffee for some) and then north-west towards Tsumeb past Otjikoto Lake (a huge sink hole of undetermined depth) and on to the Namutoni Gate of Etosha National Park.

We are now on Ian's home turf so he was keen to show us around before it got too late.  Sightings for the afternoon included:  Giraffe; Impala; Tawny Eagle; Elephant; Blacksmith Lapwing: Oryx (Gemsbok); Dik (antelope); Springbok (antelope); Yellow Billed Hornbill; Drongo; Yellow Canary; Steenbok (antelope); Pale Chanting Goshawk; Kori Bustard; Blue Waxbill; Burchell’s Zebra; Black-backed Jackal; Spotted Hyena; Moorhen; Namaqua Sandgrouse; Red Eyed Dove; and Grey Heron.

While Ian booked us into the lodge for the night we explored Namutoni Fort built by the Germans in 1896.  From the tower, we could see an elephant just below doing what elephants do a lot of the time - eat.

The lodges were very impressive.  Well appointed and even an outside shower which Jill gave 10/10.

Dinner in the dining room was the usual "large" lodge affair of a buffet.  We were looking forward to eating outside but to do that we would have had to share the space with smokers so inside it was.

Tuesday 13th October 2015 – Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo)

Today we travelled across the bottom section of the park.  Etosha means “Great White Place” a name which comes from the fact that much of the area is covered by the Etosha Pan, a salt lake covering 4,731 square kilometres (110km by 60km).  From Namatoni we travelled to Halali (where we had lunch) visiting lots of waterholes along the way.

Early in the day we came across the body of a young elephant surrounded by Jackals, Hyenas and Black backed Vultures.  As gross as the scene was it was interesting watching the relationship of the scavengers.  The Hyenas were certainly in charge and the others could only snatch a bite occasionally as a gap appeared.  There was also an interesting interaction between the Jackals and the Vultures (the vultures just keeping out of range of the Jackals when they became aggressive.  Nearby we a clan of Hyena with quite a few pups.  They do look a bit cute but…….

Other sighting for the morning included: Dik Dik;  Burchell’s Zebra; Springbok; Oryx (Gemsbok); Ostrich; Elephant; Blue Wildebeest; Tawny Eagle; Grey Lourie; Yellow Billed Hornbill; Burchell’s Starling; Grey Heron; Kori Bustard; Black Headed Heron; Banded Mongoose; Giraffe: Steenbok; Pale Chanting Goshawk; Hartebeest; Kudu; Lion; Drongo; and Blacksmith Lapwing.  It was amazing to see the large herds of Zebra and Wildebeest, lots of giraffe, antelope and a large pride of lions.

By the time we got to Halali (another government lodge) they were just finishing lunch so there was not a lot of choice.  We weren’t complaining however as we had enough and the cost was only NAD$80 (a bit more than A$8).

After lunch we drove from Hali to Okaukuejo with lots more detours to spot animals.  Ian knows many of the guides here as he worked in Etosha for a time so regularly gets the info on where the animals are.

The lodge at Okaukuejo was also government run.  We dropped off our luggage in our room, had a brief “sit down” in the air conditioning before heading out again for an afternoon drive.  

Sightings? Not a lot new: Spotted Eagle-owl; Northern Black Korhaan and Helmeted Guineafowl.  We got excited when we saw the owl as it was sitting on the ground and looked a bit like a leopard from a distance.

We got back to the lodge in time for a glorious sunset over the waterhole.  Giraffes (one silhouetted against the sunset), Elephants and a single Black Rhino.  That was pretty special as it’s only the third we have seen.

Dinner was pleasant although it was much busier here (guess it’s easier to get here from populated areas) so things on the salad table were in low supply.  The wait staff were also a bit short on.  We never did get the bottle of wine we ordered.  From the restaurant, we were able to see the animals at the waterhole on a video screen.  We headed off to see the elephants but they were just leaving when we arrived.